


Space

by the_ol_razzle_dazazzle



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Pearlidot Bomb 2016, crisscrossposting, i really enjoyed the wordplay with space on this one wow i can't control my tragic puns, rated t for past violence and war, sorry for the spam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-01
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-09-13 20:07:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9140287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_ol_razzle_dazazzle/pseuds/the_ol_razzle_dazazzle
Summary: Pearlidot Bomb 2016: Home/SpaceYou miss it. When you look through a rose-tinted lens of what the past was like. Observing your own actions like a bubble- shaky, containing, easily breakable. It was a space. A space- a worthless little label, saying 'It's gone now. You can never go back.' A one way street despite the whole galaxy at your fingertips. A one way street that you can only look back on.





	

You miss it. When you look through a rose-tinted lens of what the past was like. Observing your own actions like a bubble- shaky, containing, easily breakable. It was a space. A space- a worthless little label, saying 'It's gone now. You can never go back.' A one way street despite the whole galaxy at your fingertips. A one way street that you can only look back on.  
  
It's a different time now. It's a different space now. No longer filled with the loud screams of war, of revolution, of death, of love. It's quiet. Like it's trapped in it's own time, the notion that the same place you visit after a year is never truly the same, be it the Earth's position causing centimetres off from replication, or just pure destruction.  
  
You figured it was only right to visit this graveyard of sorts, ever since you knew about how the fallen fragments were used- fragments of enemies, of friends, of lovers and otherwise. Back then, it never mattered, all that mattered was her, all that mattered was being by her side.  
  
You were so distant from everyone, even she wanted distance from you in the end.  
  
*****  
  
"Pearl?" The voice is suspended in the air, a fresh word from a stale space, blood-stained, tear-stained. A sword clatters to the floor.  
  
“…What are you doing here?” The sentence felt stale coming out of her lips. She’s not moving, like she’s frozen along each weapon.  
  
“I-Initially? I…came here for them.” Peridot’s eyes glance around the weapons, her every step careful to not intrude the sleeping blades. “Because of…you know.”  
  
Pearl sighs, gently picking up the sword, brushing off a purple pommel. She gently stabs the blade in the dirt, “Initially?” Pearl can’t help but stare at the blade, the thick scent of strawberries and blood swirling…well, surely there’d be no such traces of the latter now.  
  
“Well of course, I’m practically obligated to feel empathy now.” Peridot’s voice cracked with a nervous laugh, before she stopped. “And while one must harbour respect for the dead, there are…living matters that I wish to attend to.” She shrinks the space between them, her voice as cautious as her steps.  
  
Pearl glances at her, eyes notably used from crying. “Y-You shouldn’t have come…you don’t deserve to know about what happened here.”  
  
“It doesn’t matter what I deserve.” Peridot stared up at her, not wanting Pearl’s eyes to break away. “No one else that’s here, or was here- deserves it.”  
  
“That doesn’t change anything.” Pearl’s eyes cast down, looking the sporadic patches of grass and metal strewn, spaces of dirt hiding stars only know what.  
   
“Are you…okay?” Peridot ceases, unsure to fill any further space. It’s feels like an eternity, so long of a stilled place, untouched- but more intruding and destroyed than anything. The weapons in the way may as well be an asteroid belt counting the amount of light years away.  
   
“I miss it.” That’s all Pearl can say, and it’s a statement that wants clarity- needs clarity. But no such thing will ever come, comfort will never come. Closure will never come. Peridot accidently trips on a stray scythe’s handle, falling in front of her. Millennia ago in this place, Pearl would’ve fought, killed, hurt anyone that would’ve done so.  
   
She helps her up. The space between their hands closes, their fingers like wires of landlines- calling, connecting each other. “Pearl?” Peridot smiles at her, and Pearl can swear it isn’t a trick of the light, or her visor, but her eyes are shining- the collected water like a pool of stars, threatening to drip and make constellations. “Yes?”  
   
“I…don’t really have any adequate speeches, nor do I have a ‘correct’ solution of answers. I don’t think I’d be able to even if you gave me an eternity but…I have one thing, and I hope it suffices.” It’s a closed space, as she ceases the gap, hugging the other gem tightly.  
  
Pearl sighs wistfully, “When you have enough time on your hands, i-it’s only inevitable to miss it.” Peridot takes her hands, taking away her time.  
  
“Everything ends eventually.” Peridot mumbles.  
“That’s too true.”  
“So then why spend it waiting for you to care about something?!”  
  
Peridot glares at her. “I-I know it’s hard, but there’s no point in just…drowning yourself in it, you have so many other, living, actually moderately enjoyable things to care about.” The constellations ebb onto her face, as she hugs Pearl closely.  
  
They stand there, in the field of the fallen, surrounded by the cold old metals of war. “I miss you.” Peridot clutches at her tighter than any whip or instrument of torture- there’s no space, no room for worry.  
  
Pearl puts a hand on Peridot’s head. “…Let’s go home.” She sighs, trying to find a suitable smile.  
  
“Which one?” Peridot looks up at her, her visor reflecting the galaxies.  
  
“I’d never want to go back there- never again.” Pearl murmurs, “Even with all the grief and pain wouldn’t be able to make me do so.”  
  
“I meant the temple or the barn, Pearl.” Peridot pokes her.  
  
“Aren’t those different for you?” Pearl asks.  
  
“W-Who cares?! Home is just some arbitrary word applied to whatever you think is the best place to come back to rest.” Peridot tries to play her statement off, “You’re the one overthinking every star stricken thing.”  
  
“Of course…” Pearl stifles her laughter.  
  
“But you know why I particularly like my place of residence?”  
“Why?”  
“Because it has a lot of stuff.” Peridot shrugs, as Pearl rolls her eyes.  
  
“You think I’m kidding don’t you?!” Peridot scowls indignantly at Pearl’s laughter. “It has….potential- and lots of things that make it special. It has termites, but you can make the most and have a termite treaty with the bugs. You can get angry at yourself for crashing a silo because your powers don’t work, or make it into ‘meep morp’.”  
  
“It’s…like you in a way.” Peridot mumbles.  
  
“I’d find that so much more indifferent if you didn’t use termites in that supposed metaphor.” Pearl snickers, snarking despite the seafoam on her face.  
  
“Well, people think the galaxies are amazing, but they all have problems- black holes, asteroid belts, angry gem empires.” Peridot shrugs, “There, is that a better metaphor?”  
  
Pearl sighs, hugging her. “Y…es, it’s enough.”


End file.
